


Painting with Explosives

by chibi_nightowl



Series: Myth-Bats [7]
Category: Batman (Comics)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-07
Updated: 2017-01-07
Packaged: 2018-09-15 11:11:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,111
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9232304
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chibi_nightowl/pseuds/chibi_nightowl
Summary: A confused look appears on Richard's face as he takes in the color samples Damian's holding. “You’re not painting your room, are you?”“No, I am not."“Then why are we here?”“I am here to pick out paint. You are here because the plebians behind the counter will not mix paint for a minor, nor will they allow me to purchase it on my own.”





	

**Author's Note:**

> I've said it before and I'll say it again...Damian Wayne is a hard character for me to write. So for all of you Damian lovers out there, I tried! :)

 

Damian sits at his desk with his laptop firmly closed. He surreptitiously looks over his shoulder at his bedroom door. It’s locked, but that means nothing in this household. He’s the only one home besides Pennyworth, but random attacks to test his awareness and preparedness as a child keep his senses even now in a sense of almost hyperawareness. 

_It does not help that everyone are hypocrites when it comes to secrets either. We all have them, and while the others say they will respect my privacy, they’ll still ferret out what it is I do. I suppose it is the nature of our mission to be inquisitive, but some people take it to extremes. Richard comes to mind…_

Feeling as secure as he ever can, Damian opens the laptop, pulls up YouTube in his Web browser, and enters a few keywords before clicking search. He expects the rather inane exercise to take up no more than 10 minutes of his time, but an hour later finds the almost-teenager with a list videos that are worth further pursuit. There is one in particular that’s caught his eye. 

The colors of the exploding paint bomb on the white canvas are aesthetically pleasing to him, as is the process to build the device and the explosion itself. Damian watches the video again and again, the wheels turning in his mind after each viewing as he tries to figure out the logistics of how to get it to work. _If anything, the high-speed camera footage is more impressive than the actual canvas. That in and of itself is a work of art._

As tempting as it is to try and do this himself, the main point behind this not-so-tedious exercise is to do something _normal_ with his brothers. _If I come about it correctly, they will all fall in line. Perhaps if I introduce it as a teambuilding activity..._

The engineering of the bomb itself is perfect for Drake, as is the filming of the event with the different high-speed cameras. 

Playing with explosives is something Todd never says no to. 

Damian is hard pressed to find something about the paint bomb that is appealing to Richard, but in the end figures the bright colors and doing _anything_ with his brothers will have to do. _He’s a sucker for bright colors. Look at the original Robin uniform after all._

He starts planning, plotting in a way that would make his mother proud and his father roll his eyes, if the Batman were prone to do so. 

****

The first stage of the plan involves Drake. The way Damian figures it, this show is one of the former Robin’s particular obsessions, so it only makes sense to get him on board first. Drake is known to dig his heels in when Richard’s involved with the early planning stage of just about anything. He approaches Drake in the one place he has no easy escape; his office at Wayne Enterprises. 

Damian enters Drake’s office one afternoon a few days after his YouTube marathon. He catches the young man off guard as he almost slams a tablet in front of him. _Surprise him. Catch him unaware._

“What’s this?” Drake asks, warily looking at the tablet for a moment, then at Damian. 

“It’s a tablet,” Damian replies with a slight sneer. _As much as it galls me to admit it, Drake is actually quite intelligent, but I’ll be damned before I’ll ever acknowledge it out loud._

“I can see that.” Drake leans back in his office chair and waits. 

_The man may be intelligent, but he still is insufferable._ _He also knows how to play this game_. “There is a video queued up. Watch it.” 

Drake picks up the tablet with an arch to an eyebrow and unlocks the screen with a swipe of his finger. As he watches, a small, almost secretive smile starts to appear on his face. When the clip is finished, he sets the tablet back down and looks back at Damian. “Decided to become a real boy after all?” he asks with that slight twist still on his lips like he knows something Damian doesn’t. 

“Grayson has been harping again on brotherly bonding,” Damian spits out venomously, though most of it is an act and he suspects Drake knows it, which galls even more. He’s trying very hard not to explode at the young man. _What is that look on his face? It’s vexing. It’s like he knows something. I completely cleared my browser history and all records of my video watching the other day._ “It was brought to my attention that a teambuilding exercise would perhaps strengthen our teamwork in the field. Since you and Todd seem to find these myths enjoyable, I thought I would select one. This one seemed…interesting.” 

_Best not to let him know that it’s the one I want to do most. Though the one with the slide down the side of the hill into the lake is a close second…_

The ghost of a smile morphs into a full-blown grin rather quickly. “This one has been on my list for a while,” Drake admits. “Jason’s too. Something about exploding paint just seems _fun_. Which device are we building? The Death Star or the Snowflake?” 

“The Snowflake. So you will participate?” 

“Yes. What do you need me to do?” 

Damian outlines his carefully crafted plan and Drake nods along, not saying a word until the boy finishes. “I want to help build this, but we’re going to need some space. You want to do this in the Cave?” 

This is the part of the plan Damian knows is the weakest. _I do not think Father would approve of my taking up everyone else’s time in such a frivolous way._ “I am not sure,” he says slowly. “Somehow I doubt Father would appreciate the noise.” 

The odd look is still on Drake’s face as he agrees. “Bats won’t either. Let me talk to Jason. I’m pretty sure he has a place we can use. He’s going to need to see it too if he’s in charge of the explosives.” 

“If I recall, he also has access to a van we can use for transport.” Damian thinks back to the coffee creamer explosion. _It is still one of the best explosions I’ve ever seen._

“I still don’t know if that van is actually his or if he _borrowed_ it.” 

“Does it really matter?” 

*****

It’s almost a week before Damian hears from Drake again. An Arkham breakout had been keeping everyone busy and things finally were settling down. As he exits his school, Damian reads the text from his brother. It’s an address in what he recognizes as Burnley. _What is Todd doing with a building in Burnley? That’s out of his normal area._

Pennyworth is waiting for him as usual and as he gets settled in the car, Damian directs the old butler to drop him off at the address he’s been sent. A finely arched eyebrow and another of those secretive smiles later, the man drives away. _What is with that look? Now he’s doing it too._ “There is a change of clothes for you in a bag on the floor by your feet,” Pennyworth says as he drives. 

Damian decides something as he changes in the backseat. _Sometimes my brothers are right and Pennyworth really does know everything._

He’s dropped off in front of a rather derelict looking building with large metal door and a halfway closed garage door. Hearing sounds of metal being cut from within, Damian ducks under the door and spies Drake and Todd at work on something. Both are wearing goggles and protective gear over their ears. At the shrill whine of the saw, Damian holds his hands over his ears as well while he waits for them to finish cutting. 

Todd notices him first and stops the saw, the harsh sound finally stopping. “Hey there, baby-bat! Welcome to the madhouse!” he says as he removes his ear protection. 

“I believe the madhouse is on an island in the Gotham River,” Damian replies dryly. “Don’t you have a room there?” 

“Nah, there’s too much fun shit to do out here.” Todd’s grin is wide, but looks a bit forced. _I am not overly fond of him either, but I do have more in common with him than my other brothers combined._ Todd is secretly Damian’s favorite brother to patrol with as he doesn’t care when Damian’s feeling on edge and needs to take down a criminal in a more rough and brutal manner than Batman, Nightwing, or Red Robin would approve of. 

He also has a collection of knives that he’s picked up during his travels around the world (and off-world) that Damian is more than a bit envious of. 

Drake removes his ear protection before Damian has a chance to reply. “Nice to see you, Damian. Let me show you where we’re at and what you can do to help.” 

Biting back his usual retort at Drake attempting to give him instructions, Damian bites his tongue and joins his brothers. _Keep it together. This is my plan and everything is falling into place, even if Drake did take over the build._

The afternoon is more productive and enjoyable than Damian thought it would be. Drake had done a good job of gathering all the materials they’d need to build the casing and frame for the device. With the three of them working together, the frame is quickly assembled. 

Damian takes the measurements of the steel plates Todd is welding into place. Tomorrow after school, he would go to his favorite art supply store to purchase the canvas. But for now, he listens to Drake and Todd bantering back and forth, the conversation much easier and lighter than it had been in years past. He lets himself be dragged into the, oftentimes ridiculous, topics and tries hard to keep back his normal biting comments. They talk a lot about the show they both enjoy, brainstorming different myths to try in the future. Much to Damian’s surprise, not all of Todd’s ideas contain explosives and not all of Drake’s are overly complex. 

_When did they get so close? Their relationship has been adversarial at best for years. They behave more like how Richard does with me now. If it was the island, then I absolutely refuse, though I would have liked to see the shark. I will not be stranded with all three of them at the same time. Small doses are best._

He learns more about Todd and Drake than he expected. And he has as much fun working with his brothers as he’d hoped. As Damian leaves for the night, he catches Drake and Todd sharing secretive smiles. _Now Todd is doing it! What the hell is up with these smiles?_

*****

The canvas is easily obtained after school as planned and Damian is now ready to implement the next stage of his plan: Richard. 

The man was over the moon when Damian called and asked him to meet at a painting supply store. _The fool didn’t even ask why. He likely assumes I’m going to paint my room._

That’s exactly what Richard thought apparently as he starts going through all the different paint samples and looking at the different colors on the cards. “Oh, Dami! What about this one?” The first Robin holds up a bright primary yellow. 

“That color is suitable for a Halloween costume.” 

_I’ve given a lot of thought to the visual display of these paints disbursing through the air. If they land in a pleasing manner on the canvas, then excellent. But if not, at least I can get a print from the high-speed camera. Drake’s already promised he’ll have his equipment ready._ Damian starts selecting his colors. 

Richard selects a few more cards of his own to show Damian. A confused look appears on his face when he sees the fuschia, teal, and cerulean blue cards Damian is holding. He’s debating between two different shades of purple when the eldest Robin finally asks the question he’s been waiting for. “You’re not painting your room, are you?” 

_Close enough._ “No, I am not.” Damian selects a purple and makes a point to look at another shade of yellow to see how it works with his overall palette. 

“Then why are we here?” 

“I am here to pick out paint. You are here because the plebians behind the counter will not mix paint for a minor, nor will they allow me to purchase it on my own.” _Yet another instance where being the son of Bruce Wayne holds no sway. Gotham…_ Damian shakes his head in disgust. 

Richard still looks unconvinced and tries another tact. “What are you doing?” 

“Painting with explosives.” 

Damian catches Richard repeating what he just said under his breath and his eyes widen in surprise. “Damian! What the hell?” 

“I am working with Drake and Todd on this. I thought you would like to participate as well?” he asks archly. _Use the puppy look only if you must. He is most weak against it._

“Tim and Jason…oh my god, you’re doing a myth together! That’s great!” Richard looks most pleased at having figured it out. 

“It is a teambuilding exercise,” Damian says, making sure to sound slightly put out about it. 

“Call it what you want, Lil’ D, it’s brotherly bonding!” 

“Does that mean you’re participating?” 

“Of course!” 

_At least Richard is not giving me those odd looks._

*****

The weekend finally arrives and in the early afternoon, Damian joins Richard and Drake at the quarry where a few months before, Drake and Todd set off the coffee creamer bomb. Today’s explosion would be quite different, but no less pleasing. 

Assuming Todd gets his ass here with the rig. 

“He’s on his way,” Drake says as he hangs up his phone. “The box truck we rented takes corners a bit more slowly than the van.” 

“Just how big is this thing?” Richard asks. 

“Not very big, but it’s bulky.” 

There is not much to do until Todd arrives, so Damian sits and listens as the two former Robins chatter inanely as they so often do. His preparations are all complete, the paint packets ready and waiting. 

“I watched the episode we’re replicating,” Richard is saying. “I thought you totally would have gone for the Death Star.” 

“That’s what Jason thought too,” Drake replies as he fiddles with his video equipment. “But while the build would have been cool, the Snowflake is so much more visually appealing.” 

_There is something we can agree on. The paints I selected should look most excellent on the high-speed._

“No kidding, I bet that’s why Damian chose it.” A small smile appears on Richard’s face as he glances over at the youngest Robin. _Dammit, now he’s doing it too! What is that smile?_

Before Damian has a chance to confront his oldest brother about it, Todd arrives in the box truck. “Who’s ready for an explosion?” he asks with a toothy grin. 

The grins on all their faces are answer enough. 

It’s not long before the rig is set up. Damian securely fastens the white canvas to the metal plates while Todd and Richard work on placing the paint packets in the right space. Drake is arranging his cameras for optimal viewing. As seen by regular sight, the explosion wouldn’t be much, but the cameras will capture it all. The C4 goes on last. 

Todd’s brought some clear protective shields and after setting those up a safe distance away, he holds up the trigger for the C4. “Ready there, Replacement?” he asks Drake, who’s sitting with his laptop and doing the final checks on the video feeds. 

He nods slowly. “Yeah, everything looks good here.” 

Todd hands the remote to Damian, surprising him. “Here you go, brat. Whenever you’re ready, count to three and hit the button.” That odd smile is back on his face. 

“You’re certain this won’t explode in my hand?” He looks at the device doubtfully. 

“I enjoy a lot of things that go _boom_ , but blowing my little brother’s hands off isn’t one of them.” 

The look is now on Drake’s face, as well as Richard’s. _Traitor. What does it mean?_

Damian glares at them all and holds up the remote. “Three. Two. One.” His thumb presses down and in the distance, there’s a loud _boom_ and a spray of paint. 

Drake does something with his laptop, a big grin appearing on his face while Richard and Todd cheer at the explosion. “Hey, Damian, come here,” he says.

Looking over Drake’s shoulder at the screen, Damian feels his breath catch in his chest. _Incredible. Absolutely incredible. This has to be one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen._

Todd and Richard crowd in, breaking the moment. “Oh, shit, that’s awesome,” Todd says and he slaps Damian hard across the shoulders. “Good job, brat.” 

Richard wraps Damian in a full body hug before he can escape. “That’s amazing, Damian. Those colors are incredible. You did a great job picking those out.” 

_Need air!_ Damian finally fights his way out of Richard’s octopus-like grip. He steps away and crosses his arms defensively in front of him. “This was a teambuilding exercise,” he says fiercely. “The purpose was to work together and create something outside the norm.” 

All three of the former Robins are wearing that look now and Damian growls. _What is it??_ “What is with all of you and that look?” he finally asks, trying not to flail his arms in agitation, though he does clench his fists. “You’ve all been doing it since we got started with this project.” 

Richard looks over at Drake and Todd and grins at what he sees. “I can’t say for sure about these two, but I think this was more than just a _teambuilding exercise_.” 

Drake grins. “Thanks for wanting to do a myth with us, Damian. It was fun.” 

“Should do it again sometime,” Todd drawls in that lazy way of his when he’s teasing the person he’s speaking to without overtly doing it. “What’s next on the list, Timmy?” 

As his brothers go on around him, Damian bites his cheeks and clenches his fists even harder as he stands rigidly, frozen in place. _They saw right through it. Where did I go wrong?  
_

*****

A week later, Damian finds a large square package lying on his bed. There’s a note on it in Drake’s handwriting. 

_D-  
_

_As promised.  
_

_-T_

Unwrapping it, Damian finds a large framed print of a still-frame from the paint explosion the high-speed camera caught. 

_Beautiful._

 

**Author's Note:**

> Damian, you're fooling nobody with your teambuilding exercise! :P
> 
> For those that haven't seen this episode, there were two devices built to try and use explosives to paint an entire room in one explosion. One device literally looks like a Death Star while the other device was called the Snowflake. Here's a link to a clip of the explosion Damian wanted to replicate. The real explosion occurs about 2:20 in.
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2CujQqF2V0


End file.
